


Counting the Hours

by seaunicorn



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Drunk Driving, F/F, Underage Drinking, don't do as alex does kids, it's not incest if one's an alien, that's how i wrote it at least, unrequited love if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 12:26:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7892281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaunicorn/pseuds/seaunicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex can't tell you how many hours she's spent at Kara's side, waiting for her to wake up, worried for her life.  She stopped counting a long time ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Counting the Hours

Alex is seventeen.  She’s seventeen and _stupid_ and really shouldn’t have gotten in that car when she _knew_ her friend had been drinking, and god, she was lucky that they didn’t get far and ran into a wall at the end of the block.

The problem was how fast they had been going and now she’s stuck inside the car that smells like it’s about to catch fire while her idiot friend is next to her, passed out at the wheel.  Her heart thumps in her chest as the smoke fills her lungs.  She can’t see, or feel and yeah this could very well be the end of her short miserable life, but she’s not scared.

There’s a loud scraping sound as the door is pulled off the car and someone unbuckles her seatbelt and drags her out and to safety.  Alex coughs the dust out of her lungs and looks up to find tiny sixteen-year-old Kara who still hasn’t had her growth spurt and all of her superhuman strength.

“Kara?” Alex blinks.  “How did you—“

“Super hearing, remember?” Kara says with a smirk.  “I’ve got you.”

And with that, she rushes back to the car to save Alex’s friend too.  He’s a little trickier to get out, and the flames have started to spread.  Kara carries the boy over her shoulder when the flames have almost reached the gas tank at the back of the car.  Alex’s eyes widen and for the first time tonight, she’s scared.

“Kara!” she shouts.  “Look out!”

Kara senses it too.  She has enough time to toss Alex’s friend out of the way before the car explodes, engulfing her in flames, and sends her tiny body flying.

“KARA!” Alex shrieks.  She gets up and runs over to where Kara landed, crumbled in a heap, and crouches over her.  She turns Kara on her back and shakes her.  “Kara?  Kara!”

Alex hears the sirens, and knows she has to get Kara out of there.  She’s not sure exactly _what_ the paramedics would find if they took a look at her, but she _knows_ it would throw up some red flags.

Alex lifts her foster sister bridal style, and carries her home.

She still smells like smoke and her jacket is a little singed, but otherwise Alex fine.  Maybe a couple bruises but no broken bones or concussion or anything.  Kara, on the other hand is still unconscious when she gets back to the house.  Alex isn’t sure if she’s grateful or upset that her mother is out of town at a conference for the weekend.  On the one hand, she wasn’t here to punish Alex for endangering Kara, _again_.  On the other hand, she has _no idea_ if Kara is okay or how to fix her.

Alex places Kara on her own bed and pulls up a chair right next to her.  “Come on, Kara,” Alex whispers.  “Wake up.”

After three hours of diligently watching over her foster sister with no change, Alex is getting frustrated.  This has happened once before, and she knows Kara can regenerate on her own, but it’s never taken this long before.  It’s nearing four in the morning and she hasn’t slept, so she sprints downstairs to get an energy drink out of the fridge in eight seconds flat.  Alex doesn’t have superpowers, but she’s pretty sure she reached superhuman speeds.  She doesn’t want to leave Kara alone; she has to be there when Kara wakes up.

By six in the morning, the sun is rising and there’s still no change.  Alex digs into the back of her closet to find some of her dad’s old research on Superman.  She hasn’t even looked at it yet because the memories of her father are still too painful, but if there is anything in here that could help Kara, she needs to know.

By eight in the morning, Alex has finished tearing through her dad’s research and every single window in their bedroom is open to expose Kara to the sun’s rays.  Alex considers breaking a hole in the roof to let in more sunlight, but then thinks better of that idea.

A few hours later, Alex realizes that she _really_ has to pee, but refuses to leave Kara’s side for that long.  She can’t think about the pressing needs of her bladder, and instead tries to distract herself searching for a magnifying glass in her bedroom in the hopes that magnifying the sun’s rays will help Kara.

The only thing that stops Alex’s search is when she hears rustling coming from the bed.  She drops what she’s doing and (at superhuman speed) zips to Kara’s side and grasps her hand tightly.

“Kara?”

The tiny blue eyes flutter open and blink a few times.  “A-Alex?” she asks softly.

Alex can’t help the tears that that spill from her eyes as sobs wrack through her.  “Kara I’m—I’m so sorry!  I’m so stupid!  I didn’t mean—you shouldn’t have—god I was so scared!”

She cries into the bed as Kara slowly pushes herself up into a sitting position.  “Hey, Alex, I’m okay,” Kara says.  “I’m here.  And I won’t tell Eliza, I promise.”

Alex sits up again and shakes her head, wiping the tears from her face.  “I don’t care about that.  She could ground me for life and I wouldn’t care.  I was just… so scared.  I couldn’t lose you.”

“How long have you been waiting?” Kara asks.

“Ten hours,” Alex replies with a frown.  “I’m so sorry, Kara.  This is all my fault.”

Kara shakes her head.  She grabs Alex’s hand, squeezing it tight, and brings their foreheads together to rest against each other.  “Don’t be,” Kara mutters, as she brings up a hand to wipe away one of Alex’s stray tears.  “I’d do it all over again as long as it meant saving you.”

Alex sniffles again, and throws her arms around Kara, squeezing her tight.  She buries her face in Kara’s chest and holds her close, feeling the warmth of her skin, and the steady beat of her heart in her chest.  Eliza always wanted Alex looking out for Kara, not the other way around.  It’s about time she starts doing her job right.

 

* * *

 

 

Alex had stopped counting the hours years ago.  She couldn’t tell you how many hours she’s spent at Kara’s side, waiting for her to wake up.  The logical part of Alex’s brain knows that she will wake up eventually, but the emotional part of her brain tells her…maybe not.  It tells her that she can’t even leave for just a second.

Alex looks at Kara splayed out on the table, still wearing the red and blue Supergirl costume that she had grown so fond of.  Kara’s eyes are closed, the lights filling every shadow on her face.  She looks so vulnerable, so helpless.  Alex feels so vulnerable, so helpless, when all she can do is wait.

She paces back and forth across the room, needing something to occupy time and space, and busies herself twiddling her thumbs in front of herself.  She stopped counting the hours, but that doesn’t make the wait any less painful.

The door opens, and Vasquez walks in with a white takeout bag and a bottle of water.  She hands it to Alex.  “It’s not Chicago food truck, but it’s still good.  You should eat.”

“I will,” Alex says dismissively as she glances back at Kara for the twentieth time this minute.  “You can go.”

“Actually, ma’am, I’m not allowed to leave until you do.”

Alex sighs.  “Did J’onn put you up to this?” When Vasquez confirms this with a nod, Alex rolls her eyes.

“Ma’am, you do have to eat.  It’s been—“

“I don’t want to know how long it’s been,” Alex cuts her off quickly.  “Fine,” she finally says with a frown.  “I’ll eat.”

Vasquez is true to her word, and doesn’t leave until Alex has finished the entire burger, every last French fry in the bag, and the entire bottle of water.

“There, happy?” Alex says sarcastically.

“Very much so,” Vasquez replies.  “Let me know if you need anything.”  She starts to leave, but Alex clears her throat.

“Um, Vasquez?” Alex mutters, and waits until Vasquez looks back at her.  “Thanks.”

Vasquez nods to Alex one last time before seeing herself out of the room.

And Alex is once again left alone with her thoughts.

And her thoughts mostly consist of Kara.  She relives it over and over in her head.  Watching that alien beat her to a pulp and being completely unable to do anything to save her.  It wasn’t until J’onn flew in and took it by surprise that they were able to subdue it, but Kara was already too hurt.

Alex grows tired of pacing back and forth.  She’s not sure how long it’s been since she slept, but her eyes grow heavy.  She takes a seat next to Kara and grasps her hand tightly.  Her eyes keep falling shut, and as much as she tries to wrench them open, it’s out of her control.  Her head begins to droop and she jerks herself awake again, blinking the sleep from her eyes.  Alex sits up a little straighter and scoots her chair closer to Kara.

After she almost dozes off the second time, Alex figures she should stand up again so she doesn’t fall asleep by mistake.  That’s when the door opens a second time and in walks Lucy Lane with a fresh cup of coffee.

“I figured you could use some energy,” Lucy says, handing the drink off to Alex.

“Lane, you’re a lifesaver,” Alex says graciously as she takes the drink and quickly brings it to her lips.

“Careful, it’s—“  Alex gasps as she burns her tongue on the liquid.  “…hot.”

“Sorry,” Alex says.  “I know I’m useless right now.

Lucy shakes her head and nudges Alex sympathetically.  “Don’t be.  We all know how much you care for Supergirl.  How much you care for _Kara_.”

Alex takes another sip of her slightly cooler coffee, but her burned tongue prevents her from tasting it anyway.

“I can’t lose her,” Alex all but whispers.

“She’s going to be fine, you know,” Lucy replies.  “She always is.”

“I know,” Alex sighs.  With caffeine coursing through her veins, Alex finally feels awake enough to sit down again without the fear of falling asleep.

“If you want to get out and stretch your legs or go to the bathroom, I can watch over her for a bit?” Lucy offers.  She already knows what Alex will say, but she offers anyway.

“No thanks,” Alex says with a shake of her head.  “I’m good for now.  Thanks, Lucy.”  Alex stays in her seat and drinks her coffee, as her fingers gently stroke Kara’s hand.  She barely notices when Lucy pulls up a chair next to her.

“I know you’re worried, but you have to take care of yourself too,” Lucy says.  “You know that’s what Kara would want.”

Alex sighs and turns her chair a little.  Lucy was newer to the DEO so she wasn’t as familiar with Alex’s tendency to never leave Supergirl’s side.  “Lucy,” Alex says softly.  “I know there’s nothing I can do right now but wait.  I know that Kara would want me to take care of myself first.  I’m not doing this for Kara.  I’m doing it for me.  I can’t bring myself to leave her when she’s like this, and I have to be here the moment wakes up.  This is when I get to be selfish.”

Lucy nods in silent understanding.  She places a hand on Alex’s leg and squeezes sympathetically.  They stay like that for a while, and Alex appreciates the company.  Even though they don’t speak, Lucy’s presence and understanding is comfort enough that she needs.

Eventually Lucy gets tired, like everyone else does, and she leaves Alex alone with Supergirl once again.

Alex doesn’t mind.  She holds Kara’s hand tightly and takes comfort in the steady beat of her pulse.  She watches the slow rise and fall of Kara’s chest.  She studies her lips, slightly parted, as Kara breathes out small puffs of air.  She stares at the closed eyelids, waiting for them to flutter open, and for Kara to squeeze her hand and whisper her name, like she always does.

Alex stopped counting the hours, but she fills her time counting the seconds between every breath Kara takes, counting the freckles on her face that she memorized a long time ago, counting each of her fingers as if reassuring herself that they’re all still there.

Alex doesn’t know how long it’s been when Kara’s breathing shudders a little as she struggles to take her first conscious breath.  Kara’s eyes flutter open and her blue eyes meet Alex’s brown eyes, and she squeezes Alex’s hand tight, like she always does.

“Alex,” Kara whispers.  It’s always her first word when she wakes after an injury and to Alex it’s a symphony.  “You’re here.”

Alex smiles, really genuinely smiles.  “I always am,” she says as she helps Kara sit up.  “I’ve got you.”

Alex pulls Kara into a tight hug, as tight as she can squeeze the other girl.  She feels Kara breathing and moving with her, and finally the reassurance sinks in.  She presses a kiss to Kara’s temple, then to her cheek, then to her forehead.

“Hey, Alex, I’m fine,” Kara says.  She pulls back a little and grabs Alex’s hands and looks into her eyes.  “I always am,” she tacks on with a smirk.

Alex chuckles.  “I know,” she mutters.  She knows, but that doesn’t stop her from being scared that one day might be the last time she sees those beautiful blue eyes.  Alex intertwines their fingers and it’s enough to know that Kara is here, that she’s safe, that she’s home.

**Author's Note:**

> Little drabble-ish thing I wrote based on something I was thinking about while rewatching the show, because Alex is always the first one at Kara's side when she wakes up. First time writing kalex (I know I'm trash) and first time writing anything Supergirl!


End file.
